Les Miserables

I don't want to sound pretentious and say that I read this book because I'm into such fiction and feel like I'm a cultured hipster who's *so* interested in France. I'm not. The real reason I read this book was to say that I'd read it. But, I was not disappointed. 

Characters:

My favourite character is the tragic Epoinine. Purely because she is the vital image of the tragic rich girl that was only imitated by Fitzgerald some 100 years later. I feel that there are some massive coherencies between the characters of Epoinine from Les Miserables and Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. All in all, Epoinine Thenardier is the ultimate lover who is unrequited and therefore dies of a 'broken heart'. 

Themes:

The best theme throughout the entire novel is justice. Obviously with Valjean fighting constantly for justice and then not letting someone who looks like him take the fall for what he did. Javert who is the law above the law who ultimately commits suicide by plunging to his death and declaring that he has done nothing but wrong with the monarchic and then terror inflicted law in France. Fantine who dies trying to fight for her unknown daughter's right to live a free life and Cossette (her daughter) who then fights for her right to be with a soldier named Marius. Then we have the unjust, the Thenardier clan - Mr and Mrs Thenardier, Epoinine, Augusta and Gavroche - all tragic. Javert can be seen as unjust towards his pursuit of Valjean - meaning his suicide can be called just.  

Storyline:

You cannot argue that the storyline of Les Miserables is intricate and beautiful in its form. There is very little room for improvement with all its verboseness and concealment of true motives. The book is set over the lifetime of Valjean and starts with the building of a hospital in justice by the Bishop. A brilliant sequence of events that interweaves several lives from different classes and genders and calls them to adventure as they become figures of great and foreboding tragedy from wherever we take their story. Split into books (volumes) in which we see the stories of different characters form, there is a sentimental regret for these beings going through such extremities - even though they are fictitious. 

Verdict:

I have given this book 8/9

3/3 for characters: Each character has their own perception and seemingly each character has their own three dimensional world in which they tragically reside. 

3/3 for themes: Each theme is carefully woven to have juxtaposing effects on juxtaposing characters. For example justice on Valjean juxtaposes injustice on Javert's part. But both are a cause and effect of each other. 

2/3 for storyline: As intricate and beautifully crafted as it is, sometimes it is harder to follow for an audience of people who seek time to read. Analysis is simple though.